Happy Joy Day

Why we won’t be shopping during Amazon Prime Day.

July 15, 2018

We created Joymode with a simple mission in mind: Do More. Own Less. When you do more, you’re inspiring connections with other people IRL and releasing endorphins that help to minimize stress and maximize happiness. In fact, not to get all nerdy on you, according to a study, researchers agree that there’s a biomolecular aspect to all experiences, including happiness. Your brain is the command center, and positive emotions, which were once considered too subjective to study, are now getting the extra scientific love they deserve. All that to say, experiences are good for your mental health and well-being.

On the flip side, buying more stuff gives us a fleeting feeling of happiness. You get it home, use it a few times (or never) and then it sits in a drawer or the back of a closet never to see the light of day again. The accumulation of these items creates more psychological strain than you realize. Extra clutter can actually make you feel more stressed, depressed and tired. (For more on that study, go here.) According to UCLA, we’re living in the “most materially rich society in global history…” meaning we’re drowning in our own stuff. And the vicious consumption cycle isn’t helping. It’s gotten so severe that the total American credit card debt has surpassed $1 trillion in 2017 per the Federal Reserve, and the average American has a credit card balance of $6,375.00.

What does this have to do with Prime Day exactly? We’re getting there. Joymode is all about boosting endorphins. And we do this by sharing awesome goods that enable these unique experiences without the need to make expensive and unnecessary purchases.

Since our 2015 launch in Los Angeles, we’ve saved you nearly $8,403,975 on buying one-time-use goods and kept 151,025 cu. ft. of garbage out of landfills. That’s pretty massive, if we do say so ourselves. What’s more is we’ve thoughtfully considered our delivery fleet and delivery areas to keep our carbon footprint in check and have reduced the amount of wasteful packaging by choosing reusable options.

These basic principles are important to us. They’re not so important to other businesses that push consumerism, overconsumption and, essentially, manipulation. Amazon Prime Day, at its core, is just a marketing ploy to make you believe you need more frivolous stuff because everything’s deeply discounted. The fact that this exclusive event only comes around once a year makes it that much more enticing.

But wait. Let’s consider how much packaging your Prime Day purchases produce. The long hours minimum-wage employees are expected to work to pick and pack your shipments. The pollution that your deliveries contribute to climate change.

In 2017, Prime Day sales saw a 60 percent increase than the year before. According to Amazon, tens of millions of Prime members made purchases, and the eComm giant generated $1 billion in revenue. Let those staggering numbers sink in for a second. Done? OK, we’ll keep going. Those grinning Amazon boxes start out as trees. It’s estimated that Amazon ships 608 million packages each year, and cardboard packaging is the largest element of human-made waste. Let’s not forget about those inflatable packaging “pillows.” They’re even more harmful than cardboard boxes because they’re not recyclable and can take 10,000 years to biodegrade. The fact is, they’ll probably end up in an ocean somewhere killing precious sea creatures. Interestingly, Amazon customers are aware of the waste, and more than 33 million complaints have been made since 2009.

Since the 70s, research has shown time and time again that experiences bring people more happiness than their possessions. Even waiting for an experience to happen brings more happiness than our stuff. How’s that for meta? It’s simple. Material items don’t carry happiness value. And in the end, the stuff we consume will start to consume us.

So that’s why we’re celebrating Joy Day instead of Prime Day. And we challenge you to take that hard-earned cash money and put it toward something fun this July 16 instead! Something that will bring you and your friends closer together and put smiles on everyone’s faces. Something that will create lasting memories that will be brought back up during a wedding-reception toast three years from now. Need a few ideas? How about gathering around the fire pit, sharing a meal together or testing your board game skills? If you decide to spend Joy Day with us, don’t forget to give us a shout on Instagram — @joymode #joymode!